Don, I recommend a mandola. A mandocello generally has a wide neck and you need some hand strength to fret it. A mandola is larger than a mandolin, but shorter than a bouzouki or octave mandolin, with a sweeter, slightly deeper tone. I used to have a Gibson mandola, an A-model, which had a great sound and was not too hard to fret.I also had a Gibson mandocello which was a bugger for me to play- small hands. Saw Bill Delaney at Albany, hope to see you guys performing there next year. All the best. Seamus